


Finding North

by MelodeeKS99



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluffy, Reylo - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 01:14:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16075295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodeeKS99/pseuds/MelodeeKS99





	Finding North

“Welcome back. How’d it go?” Ben asked, pulling Rey into his arms. 

While Rey neither avoided nor feared uncertainty, she was grateful for the sense of security she now had for the first time in her life, and would not take it for granted. She leaned in, conceding to the pressure of his grip, his love and concern enveloping her.

As she pulled away, Rey reached into her satchel and pulled out a small frame; the picture inside was of no consequence to either of them, but quite valuable to someone else.  She smiled proudly as he reached out to take it.

“The senator will be very pleased you found it,” Ben said, picking at the splintered wood of the frame and blowing a bit of dust off the picture. It was an old black and white picture and while the frame was scratched and the glass had shattered, it was in well enough shape to be appreciated and even repaired.

“I may even make enough to pay for my next expedition,” she said happily. 

“Rey, I’ve told you, I’ll pay for whatever…” he trailed off as she shook her head. 

This was a common argument between them. Rey didn’t want his “dirty” money, stolen from the First Order after they were defeated by the Resistance. Ben tried to tell her it was fairly earned and he’d done his best to share it with those who needed assistance throughout the galaxy, but she preferred to do her work on her own credits.

“Fine, but it would be nice if you let me take care of you every once in a while.”

“You help me!” she insisted.

“By following you around the galaxy like a lost puppy?” he asked, a sad pout forming on his lips.

Rey smiled and ran her fingers along the length of his hair, down his jawline. She frowned with fake sympathy and said, “You’ve got the right eyes for the job.”

Instead of smiling, Ben exaggerated the look, opening his eyes a bit wider and raising his eyebrows at the center. He whimpered playfully and nuzzled his nose into her neck, tickling her.

“Alright, you’ve had your fun. Now get the ship ready. I’d like to deliver this today,” she said between laughs, slipping her hands through his thick hair to pull his head back and look into his eyes.

They widened with surprise as he looked back at her and said, “Yes, your majesty. I’ll get right on that.” 

“Gods, you sound so much like your father sometimes,” a voice said from behind him.

“Mom!” Ben tensed. Leia had died before the end of the war, and it was always shocking when those from his past appeared through the Force to visit.  “What are you doing here?”

“What, I can’t check in on my kids?” She winked at Rey, who smiled and skirted past Ben toward the cockpit. 

“Where are you to off to today?” Leia asked, her ghostly form moving toward the navicomputer in the common area of the  _ Millenium Falcon. _

“Rey has just recovered a precious family photo from Republic ruins on Ryndellia and we’re headed to Naboo to return it to the senator there.”

Leia looked up happily and he smiled back knowingly.  

“So, will you be taking her to…” 

“I hope to, but she’s always got other plans,” Ben admitted.

“Where do you want to take me?” Rey called out from the cockpit of the  _ Falcon. _

“Varykino. The Lake Country of Naboo,” Ben replied in Rey’s direction. “There’s an old relic there I’d like to search for near the Naberrie retreat. I’ve heard it’s extremely rare and valuable. Plus, I’ve always wanted to take you there.”

“Did you want to go tonight?” Rey asked from the cockpit.

Ben looked at her in surprised while his mother rolled her eyes. 

“All you have to do is ask, son.”

“It isn’t always that simple. She’s so stubborn.”

Leia laughed. “Well, what do you expect? It’s common knowledge, we often fall in love with those who are like our parents.”

Once they delivered the package and toured Naboo’s capital city, Theed, visiting the palace and sharing lunch near a large waterfall, Ben rented a simple speeder near the end of town, Rey packed her satchel for a quick overnight trip, and they took off over the grassy hills of Naboo. 

“This thing needs some work,” Rey said wrinkling her nose, trying not to be too harsh. The speeder was loud and the smell of rust and exhaust overpowered the fresh air of the open plains and sweet wildflowers she could see blurring below them.

“You hate when I get anything too nice. It was either this or--” Ben stopped as the engine puttered out, slowing gradually, then stopped with a small jerk, causing Rey to slam into his back. She righted herself and stared at him as he dismounted and stared at the smoky engine.

“I said you shouldn’t spend a ton of credits on the latest model, not that you should ask for something that I’ll have to stop and fix halfway to our destination,” Rey muttered under her breath.

“What?” Ben asked pulling his helmet off his head and ears.

Rey was annoyed, but she knew she probably would have given him a hard time if he had borrowed a better speeder, so -- with his good intentions in mind -- she smiled and slid off the seat to help. 

“I swear, I fueled up before we left.”

Rey ran her finger over the puncture hole in the tank, sighed heavily, and put on a sympathetic look before standing upright and turning to face him. She wiped the finger on her pants and wrapped her arms around him. “You did but there’s a hole in the tank.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the face of the man who’d lent him the speeder. “Great. So, we’ve been leaking fuel all over the countryside.”

“Let’s just com R2 and have him bring the  _ Falcon _ ,” Rey said.

Ben looked away, pulled back, and raised one hand to scratch the back of his neck nervously. “Well, the thing about that is… I didn’t want any interruptions, so…”

“You didn’t bring our coms?” Rey said, exasperated.

“Well, no. I didn’t want you checking for potential jobs while we spent time together. I wanted you to be focused on…us.”

Rey’s head fell back and she turned away from him and groaned. After putting some distance between them, she looked back toward the city; it was only a tiny light on the horizon. She turned back to Ben and asked, “How much further to Vara-- Varykee… whatever it’s called?”

“Not too far. We’re more than halfway, so it will be better to continue on to Varykino than to turn back.”

“Fine!” Rey grumbled, turning away from the light of the city and stomping in the opposite direction.

Ben stood and watched her, amused, then looked up at the sky, scanning the stars for a familiar design. When he found the constellation, he smiled and raised a hand out in front of him. 

He remembered it so clearly: Han crouched behind him, his chin resting on Ben’s right shoulder and his left hand on Ben’s left shoulder. He extended his right hand up toward the sky so that the bright heart of  _ Beautite _ rested in his palm. Ben did this now and could hear Han’s voice, “When your mother brought me here, her cousin Pooja took my com, and said I would get to the Lake Country the way they always had. I thought she was kidding, until I saw that smug smile on your mother’s face.” Han chuckled then, focused on a spot in the distance. “Let’s go, kid. It’s this way.” Han smiled down at his son, ruffled his hair, then grabbed his hand, and they set off for a spot in the distance Ben couldn’t quite see. 

That same night Ben had tried to measure the distance himself, and his father laughed and explained it wouldn’t work the same. Han laid Ben’s small hand over his, taught him how to find the star, then had him raise his hand up with Beautite’s heart at the base of his pinky. “You see where your thumb touches the earth there, with the northern star beside your pinky? That’s where you want to go.”

Ben now angled his hand parallel with the horizon, the heart of Beautite just above his pinky, and fixed his eye on the point that met with the index finger on his right hand. He smiled sadly and stepped in the direction of the Lake Country. His long legs carried him quickly beyond the distance Rey had traveled and she turned at the sound of his footsteps a few yards to her left.

“What…?”

“This way, please, before you get lost. I’d like to get there before the sun rises,” he said.

Rey sighed heavily and joined him on the path. 

Half an hour later, Rey finally broke the silence. “You must have traveled here often, if you can find your way in the dark, without a navigational system.”

“No,” Ben replied shortly. 

“No, you didn’t come here often or no, you have no idea where you’re going and we’re completely lost?”

Ben smiled and looked down at her. “No, I didn’t visit here often. My father brought me here one time. Mom was supposed to come, but something came up. That  _ did _ happen often.”

Rey grimaced and Ben returned to their original subject.

“And when mom brought me, we landed directly beside the retreat.”

“Why didn’t we do that?!”

“Because you wanted to see Naboo. Not just the generic tourist places, but the land, wilderness, and history. This was the best way.”

Rey blushed, embarrassed that she had been impatient and frustrated by their troubles.

“So… Han brought you here, and you traveled over these grasslands?”

Ben nodded and looked up at the sky. “Mom brought him here after they were married. He learned to navigate using the stars and taught me when we came. Traveling with my dad, sleeping, traveling, or playing outside, and feeling close to nature: those are the happiest memories I have from my childhood.”

“So, how do you do it?”

“Oh, it’s an extremely intricate method. I’m not sure you…”

“Ben, I saw you holding your hand toward the sky. It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me,” Rey said, slowing her pace to walk behind him.

Ben smiled, stepped in front of Rey, and stopped abruptly. She accidentally headbutted him and he chuckled.

“Dammit, Ben! Cut that out!”

“You ran into me,” he teased turning to face her. Ben reached out, putting his hands on her shoulders and staring lovingly into her eyes as she scowled.

Eventually she sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I feel all…”

“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have given you a hard time when you were already lost. Here,” he said, turning and stepping behind her. “It’s actually really simple.”

Ben slid his fingers down Rey’s arm, feeling the bumps raise from her skin from the lightness of his touch. He held the back of her hand, raising it towards the horizon, and Rey straightened her fingers as she had seen Ben do.

“Okay, so you see the star there? It’s much brighter than the others and about a fingers height from the horizon?” Ben whispered into her ear and goosebumps, rose on her neck and scalp in response.

“I think so,” Rey said, closing her eyes as he breathed on her ear.

“To know for sure, imagine that the bright star is a human’s heart. The next two stars could be shoulders if you drew lines across, another star would be at the center of the face, the two stars below are where hips would be, two stars further down would be the knees, and two even further out and down where toes might be. There are also four stars that form a square at the hip level.”

“You’re right, I see it,” Rey said with wonder, forgetting the desires distracting her just moments before.

“That’s a constellation called ‘ _ Beautite’ _ . Her heart is the center, and they call it the north star because it’s almost directly in line with Naboo’s axis, and appears to remain unmoveable in the sky. Varykino is to the east. I’m not sure why the natives of Naboo refuse to use the technology available to find their way, but this is the way they do it here, and that’s that.”

“Is it directly to the east?” Rey asked with a slight frown.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because we’re using the stars to navigate, and that will only work at night, but if we are close as the sun is rising, we can follow that star.”

“We should be close enough to see the retreat by the time the sun rises. If not, we’ll see the hills that surround it, and can easily find our way. We’re honestly not that far. We’ll make it. Look,” he said, stepping behind her and pointing up to the sky, “ _ Beautite’s  _ body was upright minutes ago, and now it has tilted slightly to the east. It’s just past midnight. We have more than enough time.”

“Then, can we rest for a bit? My feet are about to burst out of these boots.”

“Of course. Give me your bag,” he said, reaching to pull the straps from her arms. He sat on the ground and lay on his back with his head on the bag, then patted the earth beside him. 

Rey sat beside him, removed her boots, and lay back with her head on his shoulder. They looked up at the stars in silence, and, after examining other clusters, Rey found  _ Beautite  _ once more. She was imagining the lines that would form the body when her mind was diverted by the square at  _ Beautite’s _ side.

“What is the story here? What’s the square part, and where did the name  _ Beautite  _ come from?” she asked. 

“Han said  _ Beautite _ was a woman who lived thousands of years ago,” Ben began, still calling his father by his first name, out of habit from his time with Snoke. “And I only heard this story from him, so you’re not getting the original version. You’re getting the clipped, coarse, rendition.”

“Okay,” Rey said with a laugh.

“Alright, so  _ Beautite _ was, as Han said, ‘Ugly as a bantha’s backside,’ but she was good. Many people of Naboo were snobbish and greedy.  _ Beautite _ saw the less fortunate, and knew that without the right opportunities, they would never have a chance to better their lives. She helped them gain the right tools, provided knowledge, and necessities like food, clothes, and transportation. Han got a little emotional telling this part, actually. He said that while most people were only interested in improving their own lives,  _ Beautite _ focused outward. She knew that by giving the same opportunities to all, the entire planet would benefit. She also couldn’t understand how others would see people in need, and not care. The people who she helped, and who she was able to convince to see things from her point of view, they saw  _ Beautite _ for who she truly was, and they saw her beauty. It is said that she is reason Naboo has been so prosperous. She was so good that when she died, her body was raised to the heavens where it would remain for all time. Her heart would continue to help guide those in need. So, the people of Naboo followed her heart, literally and figuratively. They find her heart to find their way in this world, and when they all follow her example, their people thrive.” When Ben finished the story, he opened his eyes to peek sideways at Rey. 

Rey was still awake, but relaxed and breathing deeply as she considered the lesson. “That’s a lovely story,” she whispered.

Ben smiled and kissed her forehead. “It is,” he replied softly, looking back to the stars. “I thought of it often after I met you. When you said it wasn’t too late for me. I knew you meant I could return to the light, and began to reconsider my path. Naturally I recalled the story Han… my father taught me, and wondered if I would let the heart of  _ Beautite _ guide me as it had my ancestors.”

“You made the right choice,” Rey whispered back. 

“I agree.”

They rested until the sun’s light reached the horizon to the east, and with a little light on the mountains to follow, they continued north-east toward Varykino.

“Welcome,” the old caretaker said, waiting at the end of a stone walkway to greet them. “I was expecting you last night.”

“Our speeder broke down, but we found our way,” Ben said.

“I’m glad you remembered. It’s been many years since you visited here.”

“It has,” Ben said shamefully.

“Well, nevermind that, young man. Introduce me to your wife,” she said, grabbing his hand and squeezing kindly.

“Yes. Rey, this is Pooja Naberrie. Miss, this is Rey… Rey Solo.”

“Nice to meet you Rey. Well, I’ll be going now. Going to fly to Theed for supplies. I’ll be back tomorrow night,” she said quickly, rushing away toward a wide speeder with comfortable padded seats.

“Can we take that on the way back?” Rey asked Ben quietly, watching the elderly woman climb into the speeder and start the engine.

“Sure. So, do you want to eat, or get more rest, or…”

“No. We rested enough on the hill, right? Let’s eat, then search for the relic,” Rey said excitedly.

Ben smiled widely, confusing Rey. 

“What’s that face for? What did you-- is there no relic?”

Ben chuckled, slinging his arm around Rey’s shoulders, and led her toward the door. “There’s a relic, but it’s not really something we’ll have to hunt for.”

“Meaning?”

“I know exactly where it is, and if you want, I can take you to it… right now.”

“It’s in this house, isn’t it?”

Ben nodded.

“Is it actually something… special or valuable?”

“It’s priceless,” he said vaguely. 

“Ben, we could have had alone time anywhere. Not that this isn’t special, but we came all this way, and I thought--”

“Rey, just trust me. Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the door.

Ben led Rey through a foyer and a living room with large fireplace, then down a hall toward a large bedroom with an open door, almost the size of the wall it was set into to. A breeze drifted in from the lake and Rey stopped to appreciate the landscape.

“This is… beautiful,” she breathed, pulling Ben back to stand beside her. 

Ben stood for a minute, then pulled his hand away and knelt beside a small cabinet between the bed and the door. He took a key from his pocket and unlocked the cabinet. 

_ Why would he have a key to a cabinet here? _ Rey wondered. 

“I told you about my grandmother, Padme.”

“I remember. Padme Amidala, or is is proper to called her Senator Amidala?”

“I don’t know, but before she was Queen, she wasn’t called Padme Amidala. She was Padme Naberrie.”

“Naberrie?” Rey repeated, knowing she had heard that name before. 

“This is the Naberrie estate. Mom’s grandparents discovered this lake by following the heart of  _ Beautite _ and created this place for their family to visit,” Ben said, pulling a round metal box from the cabinet and sitting on the bed.

“What’s that?” Rey said, looking at the box in his hands. It was painted lavender with a silver inlay swirled over the top and a hinge on one side revealed the lid.

“Pooja, the woman you met outside, is my mother’s cousin. She contacted me recently about an object her aunt Padme was given as a child. Padme had saved it for her own daughter, but there was never a chance for Pooja to deliver it to my mom.”

“So, she wanted you to have it?” Rey asked.

“She wanted me to be able to pass it down to our children,” Ben said, holding the box in one large hand and reaching the other out to run it over the small bump of Rey’s pregnant belly.

“Are you going to let me see it first?” Rey teased, extending both hands toward the box. “They won’t be here for a few more months.”

Ben put the box in her hands and she lifted the lid. A pretty melody tinkled from the inside of the empty box and they listened quietly to the music that played.

Ben recognized the song and said, “That story I told you, of  _ Beautite: _ this is the melody of an old song they once sung about her. I remember mom singing it, though I never connected the woman in the story to the song before. I’m not even sure how mom learned it. Anyway, do you like it? I know you were expecting something valuable, and this is just an empty box…”

“It isn’t empty,” Rey sniffed as tears slid down her cheeks. Her past was a mystery - a problem she didn’t want her own children to struggle with-- and the absence of heritage troubled her often. Ben had been right, the gift was priceless. His culture wasn’t something one could buy to gift to their children, and this box was just one symbol of that unique gift. “It offers more than I would ever have hoped to give my child. Music, memories, ancestral stories... “ Rey set the music box carefully on the cabinet and wrapped her arms firmly around his waist. “Thank you,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. 

“You’re welcome,” he whispered. He lowered his face to her head and hummed along, imagining the day he could sing it to their children.


End file.
